A Balanced Diet - Help

[~Myschafis~]

Hi,

Ok well I am not overly knowledgable about diets, but I do my best to try and make sure my doggies are fed well

I would like to know, what really isn't necassary to feed and what should be incorporated into a healthy diet.

I currently feed my 14 week old

Supercoat puppy Kibble

I little bit of LeRice (just makes kibble more interesting and tasty at this age)

I little bit of puppy porridge

Some pedigree alphabet puppy bickies (each letter represents a vitamin or mineral)

Mince

Chicken wings

Rice

And some times one of those big bones (I call them dinosaur bones) to help with her teeth and to slow down her gulping problem) - supervised of course.

My 11 month old gets basically the same although I add some vegies, an egg (not every day though) and minus the puppy things - porridge alphabet bickies ;)

What has me curious is, they wouldn't have naturally eaten a lot of what I am feeding them, but rice is cheap and fills them up.

The knowledge and experiance from others is handy

Sorry for the long post, any input would be fantastic

Edited February 28, 2006 by mickatie

[KitKat]

Personally i'd ditch the rice, they get enough of that kinda stuff from the kibble. Also there's nothing wrong with the pup getting an egg once a week, and some smooshed vegies throughout the week as well...Perhaps add some natural yogurt throughout the week as well...

As least that's how i'd be going along those lines...

[Guest LittlePixie]

I'm with Kitkat on ditching the rice.

I'd swap the LeRice for natural yoghurt (no added sugar or flavours etc, and should contain probiotics, which is good for them)

Actually if it was me, I'd be ditching everything except the bones (that includes the wings you're feeding), mince and kibble, and would then add pureed vegies and fruit, natural yoghurt, eggs etc for flavour and variety.

[~Myschafis~]

Knew I forgot to add something...I was going to ask what sort of Yoghurt is best because I wanted to swap the leRice for yoghurt.

Are there any sort of vegies that I shouldn't feed either one of them?

Did they eat vegies and yoghurt sort of things in the wild?

[Vehs]

Are there any sort of vegies that I shouldn't feed either one of them?

Onions... hrm do a search on dangerous food more should come up, but that's the one I stay away from. Try a lot of leafy greens and you have to make sure that all veggies are blended down or juiced.

Did they eat vegies and yoghurt sort of things in the wild?

Nah, not really thought I better add: you can liken it to the bacteria in the gut of their prey and the half digested foods in the intestines/stomach, but if you want to compare to wolves they don't really eat that part... or so I've read.

I'd also like to add about the dinosaur bones that they are very hard and can wear down the teeth so don't feed them too often and once the knuckle bit is gone throw them away.

Edited February 26, 2006 by Vehs

[KitKat]

Also with the dinosaur bones just keep an eye on the pups/dogs teeth...teeth have also been known to break etc while eating these type of bones

[Dog_Horse_Girl]

I feed my dogs on raw meaty bones, raw offal, raw veg/fruits, raw eggs, sardines, yoghurt, and sometimes some lean muscle meat (also raw). You can feed whatever you like as long as its not poisonous or toxic to the canine, but the diet you describe isn't ideal. If you remove the processed foods that would be a great start. Also remove the rice b/c it's not needed and can produce loose stools (to name one nasty side effect).

Dogs don't need biscuits but we feel better in giving them...but they don't need them! I advise new adopters to avoid overly-processed dog foods and to incorporate raw meaty bones on a regular basis. That's about as far as I'm allowed to advise b/c of where I work and the foods we use in the shelter. I also advise everyone to conduct their own research...with anything to do with canine diets or medications such as h/w preventives - b/c everyone will find what works for them AND their dog over time.

[Dogsfevr]

Im not a supercoat fan but thats me.

I would scrape the rice,puppy alphabets(total waste of money),puppy porridgedinosaur bone

chicken frames,mutton flaps are more useful plus the raw meats etc

I use natural yoghurt & give tuna once a week,no eggs as our dogs throw them up

[~Anne~]

Try a lot of leafy greens and you have to make sure that all veggies are blended down or juiced.

Ummm.....why?

[Hazz]

Ummm.....why?

Because the dog's gut isn't able to break down the cellulose in the plant's cells, therefore by pureeing/juicing the vegetables you have damaged the cell wall enough to enable the dog to digest the vegetable matter.

In the wild the dogs would be getting their required vegetable matter by eating theirs preys stomach (contents and all) in doing so the vegie matter has already been partly digested - similiar to us pureeing/juicing the vegies for our companion dogs, enabling them to aquire the vits/mins from the plant matter.

[Miranda]

Im not a supercoat fan but thats me.

I would scrape the rice,puppy alphabets(total waste of money),puppy porridgedinosaur bone

chicken frames,mutton flaps are more useful plus the raw meats etc

I use natural yoghurt & give tuna once a week

Agree with showdog

[sugar]

Common Foods That Are Harmful Or Even Fatal to Dogs

Many common foods are actually harmful or even fatal to dogs. Some of these (listed below) will surprise you. Others are things you would never give your dog purposefully, but now you will be more careful to not let them be in your dog's reach. And some just need to be limited to small amounts.

Avocados (fruit, pit, and plant) are toxic to dogs. They can cause difficulty breathing; fluid accumulation in the chest, abdomen and heart; or pancreatitis.

Onions destroy red blood cells and can cause anemia, weakness, and breathing difficulty. Even small amounts can cause cumulative damage over time. This includes onions or chives - raw, powdered, dehydrated, or cooked.

Large amounts of garlic cause the same problems as onions.

Grapes and raisins can cause kidney failure in dogs. As little as a single serving of raisins can kill him. If the dog doesn't eat enough at one time to be fatal, he can be severely damaged by eating just a few grapes or raisins regularly.

Tomatoes can cause tremors and heart arrhythmias. Tomato plants and the most toxic, but tomatoes themselves are also unsafe. (All parts of the plant except the tomato itself are also poisonous to humans.)

Nutmeg can cause tremors, seizures and death.

Caffeine (from coffee, coffee grounds, tea, or tea bags) stimulates the central nervous and cardiac systems, and can cause vomiting, restlessness, heart palpitations, and even death within hours.

Diet products containing the sweetener Xylitol can cause a sudden drop in blood sugar, resulting in depression, loss of coordination and seizures. Unless treatment is given quickly, the dog could die.

Macadamia nuts can cause weakness, muscle tremor and paralysis. These symptoms are usually temporary.

Walnuts are poisonous to dogs.

Chocolate can cause seizures, coma and death. Baker’s chocolate is the most dangerous. The darker the chocolate, the more dangerous it is. But any chocolate, in large enough amounts, can kill a dog. An ounce of chocolate can poison a 30-pound dog, and many dogs will happily consume more than this. The symptoms may not show up for several hours (and so might make you think all is well), with death following within twenty-four hours. A dog can consume milk chocolate and appear to be fine because it is not as concentrated, but it is still dangerous.

Apple seeds, cherry pits, and peach pits, pear pips, plums pits, peaches, and apricot pits contain cyanide, which is poisonous.

Too much salt can cause kidney problems. Also, large breeds of dogs that eat salty food may then drink too much water and develop bloat, which is fatal unless emergency treatment is given very quickly.

Too much fat or fried foods can cause pancreatitis.

Ham and bacon contain too much fat and too much salt, and can cause pancreatitis. Also, large breeds of dogs that eat salty food may drink too much water and develop a life-threatening condition called bloat. This is where the stomach fills up with gas and within several hours may twist, causing death.

Raw liver or too much cooked liver (three servings a week) can lead to vitamin A toxicity. This can cause deformed bones, excessive bone growth on the elbows and spine, weight loss, and anorexia. Check the label of your canned dog food to be sure that it does not contain liver if you are giving your dog liver also.

Wild mushrooms can cause abdominal pain, drooling, liver damage, kidney damage, vomiting, diarrhea, convulsions, coma, or death.

Raw egg whites contain a protein called avidin, which can deplete your dog of biotin, one of the B vitamins. Biotin is essential to your dog’s growth and coat health. The lack of it can cause hair loss, weakness, growth retardation, or skeleton deformity.

Grains should not be given in large amounts or make up a large part of a dog’s diet, but rice is generally safe in small amounts.

Cooked bones can splinter and tear a dog’s internal organs.

Dogs can't digest most vegetables (carrots, green beans, lettuce, potatoes or yams) whole or in large pieces. Potato peels and green potatoes are dangerous.

Dairy products are high in fat, which can cause pancreatitis, gas and diarrhea. A small amount of non-fat, plain yogurt is usually safe.

Pennies made from the 1980s to today contain zinc, which can cause kidney failure and damage to red blood cells. A dog that consumes even one penny can become quite sick, or even die, if the penny is not removed.

[Norskgra]

Im not a supercoat fan but thats me.

I would scrape the rice,puppy alphabets(total waste of money),puppy porridgedinosaur bone

chicken frames,mutton flaps are more useful plus the raw meats etc

I use natural yoghurt & give tuna once a week,no eggs as our dogs throw them up

I agree with showdog. I give mine salmon, makeral, sardines or tuna once a week. I do give them each an egg once or twice a week.

Personally I do not like Supercoat as there are much better dry foods available.

[arawnhaus]

Hi Mickatie,

I feed supercoat puppy and a variety of cheese, meat scraps,

Natural plain yoghurt, 1 egg per fortnight sometimes fresh fruit/veg like carrot/brocoli stalks to knaw on.

I use chicken wings/frames/necks too, however be careful of the necks,(possible choking hazard).

My Dogs get these foods sometimes

The base meal is Dryfood and meat scraps and yoghurt/cheese.

I've never had any problems using Supercoat,

I have tried the others, but this works well with my Dogs and I also believe science diet active is quite good,

though fish oils are needed as it does dry the coat quite a bit..

I agree with the other posts, the rice and the alphabets are not necessary.

Edited March 2, 2006 by Rottywoman

[~Myschafis~]

I dont feed the necks my 14 weeks old trys to swallow them whole

I liked the rice because it has a lot of carbs in it, is there something I should substitue with same about of carbs?

[Nat-1]

i suggest to feed raw and natural foods more often then all the processed stuff you buy can or packet. expect cooked chicken bone because they are to britle and can get stuck in the thourt, even make your own food rather then buy it. see you local butcher to see if you could get a few bags of there off cuts of every thing, becausse they only toss it away, the raw & natural food are best.

dogs need to eat/chew bones because, the acids in their stomachs are designed for braking it down & it cleans their teeth :D

Edited March 3, 2006 by Nat-1

[Ruffles]

Sorry I just have to ask ^^^ regarding that. Why do butchers still charge you when they are just going to throw it out anyway!?!?!?!

Its bloody annoying

[Miranda]

I dont feed the necks my 14 weeks old trys to swallow them whole :D

I liked the rice because it has a lot of carbs in it, is there something I should substitue with same about of carbs?

Dogs don't need carbs, they have no enzymes in their saliva to break them down and their GI tract isn't long enough to process them properly, their nutritional needs are totally different to humans.

[DreamAussies]

Personally i'd ditch the rice, they get enough of that kinda stuff from the kibble. Also there's nothing wrong with the pup getting an egg once a week, and some smooshed vegies throughout the week as well...Perhaps add some natural yogurt throughout the week as well...

As least that's how i'd be going along those lines...

Adding sardines twice a week will be good for the skin and coat.

my guys love em. so does my cat !

[noisymina]

Rightly or wrongly, mine gets some raw whole grain rolled oats (ground in the processor) added to her mix. She also gets some cooked barley added - but that is only a small proportion of her total diet.

I have read that raw eggs are OK - but the yolk has to be given along with the white. I include the shells as well.

Sardines can be a bit rich for some dogs (ours is one of them) but they go down OK in small amounts mixed with other food.

:D